Push/pull switches are electrical switches that operate by being pushed inwardly or pulled outwardly along a central axis. Such push/pull switches are commonly used to turn power on and off in a variety of devices such as radios, televisions, computer monitors and the like. Many such push/pull switches also have secondary control functions governed by the rotation of the switch knob around its central axis. For example, such a knob may be pulled outwardly to provide power to a television, pushed in to turn off the television, and rotated around its central axis to control a desired parameter such as the volume of the television.
Since push/pull switches must be pushed, pulled, turned and otherwise manipulated by an operator, such switches typically have large knobs. The large knobs promote the engagement of the switch by an operator's fingers, thereby making the switch easy to locate and operate. When push/pull switches are used on portable devices, the large size of the knob produces disadvantages. Portable devices experience many impacting forces as the device is carried or set into position for use. Since the knobs of push/pull switches are relatively large, many of the impact forces incurred act directly upon the knob of the switch. With many prior art switches, forces that impact the knob are directly transferred to the components of the switch. Consequently, the switches often break rendering the overall device inoperative until the switch can be replaced or repaired.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a knob for a push/pull switch that does not transfer the forces of impact to the components of the switch, thereby increasing the overall reliability and resistance to shock of the device containing the switch.